Column: Filling the Cage, a look at Houston football’s attendance struggles

Houston football boasts its best record since 2021. The Cougars have clinched a bowl game for the first time since 2022 and for the first time since they joined the Big 12 Conference.

Even as the number of wins has climbed exponentially since their back-to-back 4-8 seasons, the attendance numbers have not. 

UH, this season has played five games at home so far, going 3-2 in those matchups. While TDECU Stadium has a capacity of 40,000, the average attendance for those games stands at 32,487 or 81%.

Now, if you take away the games against Colorado and Texas Tech, which saw a huge influx of away fans for both matchups. The numbers start to fall to their true average, which sits around 27,244 fans per game or 68% of total capacity.

The most recent home game against West Virginia was definitely the most disappointing turnout of the season.

Houston was ranked No. 22 by the AP poll heading into its match against West Virginia, but faced its worst attendance of the entire season, seeing just over 25,000 fans show up.

The athletic department is trying to combat the low attendance by making bundle deals for fans, offering deals that come with two tickets and parking for as low as $40 to get people in the seats.

But what could be some possible factors that are leading to the Cougars not seeing as much success in the stands as on the field?

The student section

People on social media have pointed out the lack of fans, particularly in the student section for many of these games. 

“There are nine thousand beds on campus,” athletic director Eddie Nuñez noted on his appearance on the Talkin’ Bout Them Cougars podcast. “I know people say we are a commuter school, but nine thousand is huge. We have to figure out with our students how to get them in there.”

Several members of UH Athletics, including men’s basketball coach Kelvin Sampson and football coach Willie Fritz, have recently urged students to fill the section, each emphasizing the importance of a packed student crowd during press conferences last week.

“Most fans want to wait ‘till you win, right?” Sampson said, “Well, we’re winning, come on. Let’s fill up TDECU.”

The day before the game against West Virginia also saw Sampson collaborating with The Cage, UH’s basketball student section, in a campus blitz event to invite students to attend the football game as well as the season opener for basketball against Lehigh the following Monday.

But despite the many efforts made, the student section was seemingly half empty throughout the game against West Virginia.

The fan experience

Another factor in the attendance problem is the experience that fans are getting when they come to a football game.

Many fans have noted their disappointments with the stadium’s operations, from arriving at the stadium to long lines and even the concession stands. It has been an apparent issue for many athletic directors, even predating Nuñez.

”That’s us… We have to be better about getting people into the venue, no matter what,” Nuñez said.

Nuñez says that it will all get better, though. After all, it’s only his second year learning the campus, which has rapidly changed due to construction for the UH Centennial project.

Nuñez acknowledged the limits of what can be done right away. 

“As much as I would like to add a ramp from here to the interstate and build it tomorrow, I can’t do that,” he said. “So how do we make it work with what we have?”

That mindset is already shaping UH’s approach, with several upgrades debuting this year at the Fertitta Center and additional improvements planned for TDECU Stadium beginning next season.

The department has also started to reach out to previous ticket buyers. Offering surveys inquiring about their prior experiences and ways to improve to help guide their future investments for the fan experience

Game start times

Many fans have also cited the early start times for these games as a major reason for the lack of attendance this season. 

The time of the game is not something that is decided by the teams that will be playing in the game or their athletic departments. It is decided by the conference that they are playing in and the media rights partners.

Houston has played three home games in the evening this season, while two others kicked off at 11 a.m., a start time that has drawn frequent complaints from fans.

“I feel like (the time) conflicts with people’s schedules,” freshman psychology major Christian Bowman said. “If it’s a Saturday 11 a.m. game, people are doing work and might have classes or tests, but a later start time would be better for students.”

So while time may be an issue for many fans at Houston, that is something that ultimately comes with college football, and has not had an impact on attendance for many other power conference schools.

There are many potential reasons why the attendance numbers have been low this season and even before. The athletic department is looking for the key to fixing them all and getting people into the stands for football games.

The Cougars will have their final home game of the season on Saturday against TCU for their senior night. Houston will look to overcome its difficulties and try to fill the stadium one last time this season.